Besides Patton, who looked dapper and typically demented and ringmaster-like in an all-red ensemble, the rest of the band are a little greyer and balding these days, but they still play with venom.

Nor have they lost the ability to whip your head off as they morph from the mooch and shuffle of songs like Evidence into the chug and lurch of slamming songs The Gentle Art of Making Enemies and From Out of Nowhere, off the band's 1989 break-through album The Real Thing.

A photo of FAITH NO MORE frontman Mike Patton exposing himself for the camera during the band's February 20, 2010 concert in Brisbane, Australia as part of the Soundwave festival. The incident apparently occured halfway through FAITH NO MORE's performance of the song "Just a Man" after the singer made his way towards an onstage cameraman and took over the camera, using it to tape the audience. He then pulled out his manhood, and showed it to the camera before the song's close.

Mike Patton and co. cast a spell over each and every Soundwaver (even those lying dehydrated in the dust by the Gyros stand). Jaws collectively dropped as the mad-man prowled the stage spitting out lyrics and drawing the crowd into his world. As the crowd heaved, suddenly revived from a day in the harsh sun, I wondered if anyone was watching HIM, or at any of the other stages for that matter. Like moths to a flame, the crowd flocked to Patton.

As the set jumbled along, it became increasingly apparent how many huge songs Faith No More really have. From Midlife Crisis to We Care a Lot, they laid them down one after the other, whilst the crowd lapped it up. Patton was relentless in his delivery, stalking the stage in his suit with megaphone in hand. It was amazing.

There is nothing more superb than watching a band that has been playing together for twenty years with a back-catalogue as immense as FNM’s. Always phenomenal players, Puffy, Billy and Roddy prove that age (and a ten year break) has only made them stronger.

More importantly, however, each member is also so evidently overjoyed to be standing in the room, feeding their fans what they have wanted for so long. There is not a whiff of “we like our new stuff better than our old stuff” or “we did it for the money”. And the crowd responds to this accordingly.

The great Faith No More eventually walked onstage, and thousands of cheering fans erupted. The moment had finally arrived, after more than ten years of patient waiting. Set opener Reunited was a smooth crooner, and set the tone for an extremely professional but turbulent night; Patton could lull a baby to sleep and raise hell within a single song. The band donned business shirts and ties, but who knows if they were in it for the suitcases full of money. In any case, the band meant business and electrified the audience, who lapped up every memorable fucking second.

Mike Patton is one of rock’s few remaining genuine icons; he owned the stage and justified every bit of hype that has preceded the reunion tour. Everything from his manic voice to intense stare and wild physicality cement him as a god. He was the preacher, megaphone in tow, and we his congregation. Easy and Epic were enthusiastically received, while Patton kept the show relevant and modern, with a Poker Face cover and a neat version of Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over. And then there was a weird Olympic medley, but that was somewhat difficult to describe.

Finally, to end the evening’s rock proceedings, you need an encore. Actually, not one, but two. Faith No More happily accommodated the desires of the packed house, questioning: “What’s with all the hospitality for old yanks?” Clearly, the time it took for this show to sell out indicates how much these people love this band. The dark and delicious Stripsearch finalised everything, the crowd not given the chance to mosh wildly again until the next day’s Soundwave Festival.

So, what was the result of everything put together by Faith No More? One more remarkable performance to add to the list, that’s one thing. That Mike Patton is mad, but totally loveable, that’s another. And that, perhaps most importantly, these “old yanks” can still play as well as ever.

These guys are supreme musicians - in particular Mike Patton, one of the most talented vocalists in rock.

From lounge-style crooning to death-metal roars and nightmarish howling, Patton is able to contort his voice into extraordinarily unnatural registers.

While the classics like Midlife Crisis and Epic got an airing, the really impressive songs were those that allowed Patton to show off his vocal range - in particular the early classic Chinese Arithmetic, Stripsearch and a relentlessly brutal Gentle Art of Making Enemies.